While I get what your saying, i don't entirely agree. While the mythos of Kyros is considerable, I think a single individual, well written, multifaceted, with relateble drives and goals, character and temperament, would far exceed the unfathomable god like entity we are so familiar with or the collection of "greater" archons, which would simply be "lesser" Kyros's in larger numbers we would be likely to see with a cabal. Given a choice, I'd rather the former over either of the latter and if the IP becomes a series, sooner or later, the question of who and what Kyros is, will have to be answered. That need not be a disappointment if we can feel some connection and relation to Kyros.
Whats been done in the real world in gods name, really doesn't have much relevence here, It's not a question of what is done in Kyros name, it's what drives Kyros, its motivation and agenda, purpose and vision and how we relate to those things that will define how we as players regard the character of Kyros, be that in opposition or support of Kyros, whatever it might be. I personally believe that most people will respond more favourably to something that they can either identify with, or understand in human terms, without it becoming a watered down version of what it has already been portrayed as.
God like entities are, when you get right down to it, all the same, pretty much unknowable and too open to interpretation to be truelly engaging, while cabalistic councils are too amorphous and indistinct to be all that engaging either and both have been done to death. Imho
Well I'm not talking about a god per se, just a concept being, an ethos, think the evils committed in the name of communism. Or the idea of the a nation state. I like the idea of Kyros simply being the idea of the world, united, in order,
whatever the cost. Kyros being one with the empire raised in his name.
And no I disagree such revelations are always disappointing. Look at games workshop their background mythos was a lot better before they started writing out exactly what happened. It was a lot more effective to tell many different versions of the event with unreliable narrators, that gave the setting a depth that knowing the absolute truth couldn't. Because any ideas and theories that the players craft will always be better in their mind than what the writers come up with.
Kyros is best if kept only as he relates and/or connects to the player. And Kyros can have both motivation, agenda purpose and vision without being an entity (or certainly revealed as an entity) in the normal sense of the word.
While a person is just that, even a well written well intentioned extremist is only a human with certain ideas. Ever worse they may bring in a lot of meaningless drama about why Kyros did what he/she did and so on that would totally ruin the ever present almost all powerful overlord.
And the player supporting or opposing Kyros is pretty much just him opposing or supporting the invasion of the tiers, Kyros should not be possible to beat, if they do they destroy the setting. Far to many writers do the mistake of allowing the hero to actually defeat the big bad and change the world, because if people liked the world changing it will ruin it.
And people villains are also pretty much all the same or rather come ina few boringly familiar archetypes. There's the well intentioned extremist, the for evulz, the one who just wants to take over the world, and worst of all the tragic villain who for some emo reason or other does what he/she does, despite having had centuries to get over it. Oh yeah and the omicidal maniac.
But none of those feel very real, becuas in reality situations cause villains not villains situations. Hitler did not create nazism, nazism created Hitler, he's just he stupid smuck thrust foward by the greater evil, the bitterness in the soul of the people, the fear that they would lose everything and the need to blame their problems on someone. Now that is real believable evil, not some person but an idea an ethos. A concept that is immortal and invulnerable. Even should someone strike the actual person of the overlord down that person will just become the new overlord (or be struck down by someone who does) and Kyros (If Kyros is this) abides.
Like someone stole my climax. so to speak.
